Share Your Voices!
Be a part of the discussion and share your ideas today!
Go to ELCA.org and take the survey to share your thoughts on what the future of the ELCA looks like to you!
The ELCA is a young church at only 28 years old. It is a good time to take a look at where we are as God’s people and try to understand what God has in store for us. And we think it is an exciting time to be looking forward together as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
We want to create a vision for the future ELCA – as a church with solid foundations sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and making a difference in the world locally and globally. And as a church that we can be proud to pass on to our children.
We want to discover how we can continue to faithfully serve God’s mission in the years ahead and reach a shared understanding among church leaders about the ministries that are most important. And we want to assess whether the structures that were set up for this church are right for the future, and as part of this consider how we use our resources in the best possible way. There are many challenges.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD?
At our synod Assembly, Bishop Eaton listened to us as we answered six questions that encouraged us to consider who we are as God’s church and what the role of the church is in the world. We invite you to watch this video and use the following questions in your settings for council discussion, small groups, confirmation classes and in whatever context you like!
LINK:
YouTube.com (We also like to point out that Rev. Rick Reiten and the congregation of Bristol Lutheran Church is featured in this video!)
QUESTIONS:
1) What is distinctive about our identity as a Lutheran Church?
2) What kind of church do we believe God is calling us to become?
3) How do we become an inclusive, diverse church that is inspiring and relevant in different communities?
4) What is God calling us to do in a world that is facing unprecedented levels of poverty, conflict and violence, inter-religious tension and massive displacement of people?
5) What do we expect from our church leaders? And how do we recruit, invest in and support them to lead this church into the future?
6) Will our current structures serve the church well into the future? How can we maintain strong, local participation and ownership and, at the same time, achieve a connection to ELCA as one church?
SHARE YOUR VOICES!
Be a part of the discussion and share your ideas today! Go to ELCA.org and take the survey to share your thoughts on what the future of the ELCA looks like to you!
LOOK FOR RESOURCES!
There are additional resources and another message from Bishop Eaton on the elca site. Go there!
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